Caterpillar for ditching-machines.



T. LINGA.

CATERPILLAR POR DITGHING MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT.30, 1910.

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2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

Patented Nov. ,3, 1914.

TY C., anun T. LINGA.

CATERPILLAR FOR DITCHING MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 30. 1910.

Patented Nov. 3, 1914 2 SHEETS'*SBEET 2.

UNITED STATErPATENT OFFICE.

TORBJORN LINGA, OF THOR, IOWA, ASSIGNOR` TO AMERICAN DITCHING MACHINE COMPANY, OF WEST MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, A CORPORATION OF MINNESOTA.

CATERPILLAR FOR DITCHING-MACHINES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 3, 19`14.

Application led September 30, 1910. Serial No. 584,692.

Tn all y'1c/1 oir/it may c mrc/'11: t

Be it known that l, ToRnJonN LINGA, a

subject ot' the Kin,r of Norway, residing at rl`hor, in the county ot' llumboldt and State 5 of Iowa, have invented certain new and uscful Improvements in Caterpillars for Ditching-Machines, of which the following is a full, true, clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to ditching machines l0 of the type used for digging trenches or ditches for drainage or sewerage purposes. Trenches ot' this character and particularly trenches for drainage purposes usually lie across mai-shy or swampy country, and the machines, which dig these trenches and which use the ordinarytraction wheels, usually sink into the ground to such an extent as to render them difficult to operate.

The object of my invention is to provide a ditching machine with propellinff memground.

A further and particular object of the inventionv is to provide propelling or caterpillar wheels for ditching machines, which shall comprise few parts, which shall be of ,f simple construction, economicalto build and ,'very durable and which shall be comparatively light, adding little to the total weight of the machine.

A n incidental object of my invention is to 85 provide propellers or caterpillar wheels 'which shall be so constructed and arranged with relation to the body of the ditching?r machine that the latter shall be adapted to travel over hard surfaced and tortuous roads 40 with the same acility as an ordinary traction engine.

My invention comprises a ditching machine in combination with traction devicesl or caterpillars which present a large tread 'area or surface over which the weight of thc machine is distributed when it is traveling;r in swampy or marshy country, but which preferably operate in the manner of ordinary, traction wheels when the machine is traveling,r from place to place over hard ground c roadways. lu its preferred form my invention comprise: two rotatable members, the axes ot rotatim. cf which are spaced at some distance apart, and a tread bcllI or chain encircling both ot' thcsc mcmbcrs, said belt being so constructed that at all times during,r the movcmcnt of the uuu-bine along thc ground, the portion of the chain which serves as the tread surface docs not bend out of a straight line between the lower portions of the pcriphcrics oi the rotatable i'ncmbers. The forward rotatable member is raised slightly above thc rearward member, so that the tread surface of thechain lies in a plane at an angle to lhe`su'r`z ol' the ground. W'hen the machine is traveling over hard ground it is supported on sub1 stantially that portion only of the belt which is directly under the rearward rotatable member and the truck is as easily st'eerable as if ordinary traction wheels were used.

but when said machine is passing over nial'shy country the machine is supported upon an arca which has for its length, sub- Astantially-the distance between the axes ot' the rotatable mcn'ibers and which has as its width the width of the tread belt.

I will describe one embodiment of my invention, by reference to the accompanyingr drawings in which:

Figure l is a side elevation ot' a ditching machine showing traction dcviccs or caterpillars as rcar supports 'For the machine truck: Fig. 2 is a plan view ol said machine` showing one of thc calterpillars in section on line 2m-9. of Fig. 1: Fia'. 3 is an enlarged view oi" a portion of the tread belt or chain and showingr the details of construction thereof.

Like parts will hc cluiractcrizcd by similar reference numerals throughout the several views.

In the drawings l have shown a lilitchinf.;r machine havingr a caterpillar or traction device at its'rcar ond on cach sidc of' the truck, these caterpillars taking` place ol thc ordinary rear traction wheels. lhc numeral l refers fcncrally to the truck oi' the ditching mac line and Q rclcrs to thc diggin;r wheel carricd by said truck and shown in thc act of digging a ditch. 'lhc truck comprises-,1i main horizontal trame 2l, prctcrably made substantially in the form ot' a rectangle and providcd at its rcar cud with an axle 4. The ends ot' thisl axle project bcyoud the sides ol said 'frame and serve as bearing portions 5 upon which one wheel or member 6 of each of the caterpillars is rotatably mounted. rl`he other member 7 of each ofthe caterpillars is rotatably mounted on Vthe projecting ends of stud shaft 8 supported in the framework 3 intermediate the front and rear ends of said framework. The

rear axle 4 and the stud shafts 8 are sub stantially parallel and are spaced some distance apart. Encireling or surrounding the rotatable members 6 and T of the caterpillars are endless tread belts or chains O. The forward members 7 of the caterpillars are considerably less in diameter than the rearward members 6 and the shafts upon which they are supported vare mounted vslightly lower in the frame 3 `than the rear vaxle 1. The wheels or members 6 and 7, however, are so proportioned in size and the `arles for supporting them are so arranged in the frame 3 that the lower portions of the peripheries of the forward wheels 7 are slightly raised above the surface of thi` ground, that is to say, the lower portions o'i their pcripheries lie above a plane which includes the lower portions of the peripheries of the traction wheels 3 and the rotatable ,members 6 of the caterpillars. The truck or frame is mounted at its forward end upon the ordinary traction wheels 3', these wheels being arranged in any suitable manner for steering the truck.

The truck is provided with suitable Inotive power by which it is propelled along its line of travel. In the drawings I have shown this as an engine 10 mounted in the forward end of the truck 3, driving through the medium of a sprocket chain 11, the two intermcshing gears 12 and 13. The gear 13 is mounted upon the shaft 14 which is mounted in bearings 15 in the frame and is driven by the gear 12 which receives power from the sprocket chain 11. At each end of the shaft 14 is mounted a pinion 16 lying within the caterpillars and meshing with gears 17 carried within therearward members 6 of the caterpillars. The forward members 7 are rotatably mounted on the ends of their stud shafts '8 and are arranged to be driven idly by the tread belt 9.

I will now describe in detail the construea tion of the tread belt or chain 9. This belt is'preferably composed of a number of arcshaped plates or sections l5 linked or hinged together and forming an endless loop which encircles both of the rotatable members 6 and 7 of the caterpillars. The individual plates of the lbelt arc each provided with a rather broad tongue 2G on one side anda corresponding slot 27 on the opposite side. The tongue 26 and the portions 28 of the plate which form the sides of the slots 27 are provided with holes 29. The plates 25 are hinged together by the pin or rod 30 passing through the' holes 29 in the tongue ritenne 26 of one plate and the holes 29 in the por tions 28 of `the adjacent plate, the pin 30 being removably securedin place by Cotter. pins or other suitable means. The plates are,

smaller member 7 of the caterpillar, so that they conform properly to the curvature of the rim of said member. Since this are of lesser radius than that of the large mein-v said large member at the points where the lates or sections are hinged together. 4

Each plate is provided with the flanges T32 on its outside edges, these flanges being preferably formed integrally therewith, and projecting inwardly substantially at right angles thereto. The corresponding ends 34. of the flanges on each side of said plates 25 are provided w'ith slots 33 between the sides of which the corresponding ends 34 of the next plate in order operate. The said ends 3% have slots 35 near their upper edges, these slots being drawn to the arc of a circle, the center of which is the axis ofthejointbetween the plates. Bridging the slots 33 in the upper corners thereof:l are the preferably curved to the radius of the'fio ber G, the chain rests on the periphery of Zei pins 36 which ride in the slots 35 in 'the iiange of the other plate. These slots 35 are so proportioned that they cooperate with the pins 36 and limit the hinge more ment of the plates, thereby preventing the belt rfrom being bent out of a straight line' in the direction of the arrow, as shown in Fig. 1. In other words, they do not permit the chain to be bent orl curved upwardly out of the plane which includes the lower portions of the peripheries of the rotatable r members 6 and 7. By means of the pin an l' slot connection between the flanges, the

chain is maintained rigid against bending -P in one direction, thus it serves, in a sense, as a substantially flat rigid plate placed between the two rotatable members and lyingl in a plane which includes the lower periph cries thereof. l

lt is obvious then that the structure which I have just described provides a largesub i to stantially flat surface or area. in Contact..

disposed with respect to the surface of the ground and in consequence the soft groundis gradually compressed under the caterpillars and do'es not pile up in front thereof. When, the machine is traveling over hard ground the forward member does not interfere in the least with the steering.

rl`his is manifest since the machine is sup ported on the lower portions of the rota l table members 6 only, just as would be the ease if the track were provided with theor- (linary traction wheels.

l. Claim 1. In a tractor the combination with a pair el alined tractor wheels, of a flexible nieta t'aclior heit trained around the peripheriee ol both said wheels, said belt cornprising a series ol' gronml-rontaet plates hinged together at their ends and each examining; an inwardlj projecting flange at nach side, adjacent flanges overlapping at their ends and thereby providing said belt with a substantially continuons flange at' each side adapted to engage the riins of the wheels to hohl the belt in place, the flanges of adjacent plates having pin-and-slot engagement with. each other affording a limited llexure of the belt in one direction.

2. ln a flexible metallic tractor belt a series of groundcontaet plates hinged together at their ends to form an endless belt, inwardly projectingr overlapping side flanges on said plates together forming a `rontinaous flange for each side of said belt, one end of each of said side (hinges being Jformed of two parallel plates separated to v receive the ovl-arlapping end ot' the next ad' jacent llange between them, a transverse pin :secured in said parallel plates and sind interlnediale plate haring a slot through which said pin projects, snid pin and slot and the adjacent hingepin serving t0 prerent the relative movement ol' said hinged plates, in one. iliref'tion, ont of. a straight line. I

3. ln a tractor the Combination with a. pair ol alined substantially pnlleylike trac tor wheels. ol a llexihle metallic tractor belt trained around llaI peripln-iries of both of said wheels, .sani hell comprising a series of ground-coniart` plates hinged together at their ends and each rarr \'ing an inwardly projecting flange at auch side, adjacent flanges overlapping al their ends. thereby providing said heit with a substantially continuons flange at, nach side adapted to overlap the edges ol the puller-like wheels and hold the belt in place, the [langes of adjacent plates haringr pin-andslot engagenient with each other allording a limited flexnre of the belt in one direction.

In testimony whereof l have hereunto set my hand this Sth da)` of September, 1910, in the` presence of two subscribing witnesses.

"lORllJOlN LINl'A.

Witnesses Vieron YJ. HILL, Wai. Moenia. 

